Coastal mountains surround central plains, and the northern of the two largest peninsulas is mountainous nearly to its coast. The highest peak is [[Mt. Remhora]] in the [[Rhomine Mountains]] in the Riocht Fíl (Kingdom of Faeland) at 4,712 ft. The [[River Verdan]], which bisects the [[Great Faelish Plain]], is the longest river in Faeland at 320 miles. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent but soft rainfall. There are many lakes in a crescent formation from the northwest of the island to the north-northeast. The largest of these is [[Lake Athlóa]].

Coastal mountains surround central plains, and the northern of the two largest peninsulas is mountainous nearly to its coast. The highest peak is [[Mt. Remhora]] in the [[Rhomine Mountains]] in the Riocht Fíl (Kingdom of Faeland) at 4,712 ft. The [[River Verdan]], which bisects the [[Great Faelish Plain]], is the longest river in Faeland at 320 miles. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent but soft rainfall. There are many lakes in a crescent formation from the northwest of the island to the north-northeast. The largest of these is [[Lake Athlóa]].

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Faeland's least arable land lies in the southeastern [[Vincennes Basin]]. This area is largely mountainous and rocky, with dramatic vistas overlooking dry valleys.

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Faeland's least arable land lies in the southeastern [[Vincennes Basin]]. This area is largely mountainous and rocky, with dramatic vistas overlooking dry valleys. Almost all of low-lying Midland Faeland is characterized by bocage landscape, a consequence of pastoral farming which requires enclosure for the management of herds. Approximately 5% of Faeland's land area is devoted to hedges, field walls and shelter-belts. In the more fertile areas these usually consist of earthen banks, which are planted with or colonized by trees and shrubs; this vegetation can give the impression of a wooded landscape, even where there is little or no woodland. This pattern of hedgerows was largely established in the late 18th and 19th centuries, a period when Faeland was virtually devoid of industrial development. Modern intensive agriculture has tended to increase field size by removing hedgerows, a trend which has been countered by agricultural revolutionaries favoring the conservation of wildlife habitats.

Fáel (Eng. IPA: fwaɪl (listen; pron. respelling: FWEYEL), Vhaloña, Valania (not to be confused with the region of Valania), or regional endonyms: Valedonia/Valedon, Vestmandie, Oceania, Våland, rarely Alnia (originally "Alnava"), the poetic "Atl'ani", and occasionally -by way of French from the Latin for Third Land (Terra Tertius)- Terse (Argentais: Terzh) is a state of the Atlantic Ocean and, well, an archipelago. Historical exonyms include Ezkerarria (med. Basq.), Sargassia (16th. cent. Port.), Phêrlagne (early modern French), Islaterra and Lazareth (Spanish and English, respectively, whose sailors and fisherman had frequent contact with the island). Modern cognates being: Valanha (Pt.), Valons (Fr.), Valoña (Sp.), and Faeland (Eng. IPA: fwaɪˈlænd (listen; pron. respelling: FWAY-land) as well as more recent Valagna (It.).

The U.S. designation is: "Atlantic International Zone: Ubrisi-Gavia" (A.I.Z.U-G.). The Valanian Federate (n.b. - this name falling into disuse; alternatively the Faelish Confederation and increasingly the "Comity of Nations" or "CON") occupies the entirety of the island of Faeland and its smaller surrounding islands. The main island is surrounded by multiple bodies of water: to the west (east) and north by the Gulf Stream/Atlantic Ocean, and to the south and east by The Mores and the Biscayne Gulf (in fact the Sargasso Sea) and has a temperate/oceanic climate. As the crow flies, the main island is approximately 466 km from north to south (289.6 miles). The area of the islands is 84,386 km² (32,581 mi²), making it the world's 20th ½-largest island. The population is around 3 million and has a density comparable to Mozambique or the U.S. state of West Virginia. Faelish territory also includes the Siawnsri Islands in the North Atlantic.

The island of Fáel has been inhabited since prehistoric times. There was a large population surge in the 5th millenium BCE; around 2000 BCE, however, the population dropped inexplicably and remained extremely low and sparse until the 3rd century BCE. Since that time, many different ethnic groups have established a presence. As a result the people of Faeland are multi-ethnic, multi-religious, multicultural and multilingual.

Fáel is a directorial confederation comprised of autonomous Member States, considered to be constitutionally sovereign and independent of one another. While the states do operate nearly independently, there is much cooperation between all polities, and citizens of any state are granted full rights to travel to any other Member State of the federation.

While the constitution provides the only official name as "Fáel" (the ancient indigenous name for the island), a constitutional act provided an official description of the country as the Federated Republics of Faeland in 1935, amended in 1955 to the Faelish Confederation (in legal texts: Foedus Valanensis), to account for the re-establishment of a monarchy in one of the member states (cf. Kingdom of Faeland and the Second Faelish Civil War).

Fáel was a member of the United Nations but has withdrawn; and was offered membership in the European Union but declined as part of its Full Decolonization Program. Despite this, it accepted the Euro alongside its national and local currencies (see: Faeland and the Euro) for a short while before declaring it a German conspiracy to create an empire on the American model. Experiments in economic isolation have cooled the economy since the 2000's "boom". A minority of Faelanders see joining the E.U. as necessary for progress but no steps can be taken to do so until there is unilateral consensus among the member states, which is not easily achieved. In recent years, however, economists have claimed Fáel has moved further from membership as it continues to reshape its economy along increasingly non-capitalist lines.

The Valanian Federate have a long history of neutrality— they have not declared war since 1925. Faeland comprises several linguistic and cultural regions. Faels, Vallones, etc are all represented. The Confederation therefore do not form a nation in the sense of a common ethnic or linguistic identity. The common bond of the country is founded on a shared historical background and values (cooperative living, direct democracy, neutrality) and a proud sense of self-determination for their long-occupied island. The establishment of the Faelish Confederation then, was an act of anti-colonialism and sodality more so than nationalism.

Name

The earliest recorded name for the island of Faeland (as a whole) was listed by the Greek geographer Hecataeus of Miletus in the 5th century BCE in his Περίοδος γῆς ("Travels round the Earth" or "World Survey') as "Bounessos," meaning "mountain-island." This name was given over by the Massaliotes —Greek colonists of southern Gaul— as a calque from the Gaulish name Đliapoelen.

The earliest attested native name for the island was Cathtír (ancient Faelish for "place of conflict" or "war land"), which survives in the name of the ancient crown vassalCattros.

During the period known as The Washing, Celtic tribes called it Fhaehlann (gen., "of the"), after its common totem, the wolf. This name led to the medieval names for the island -Fáel, Fohln, Fel, Foálnah, Fhaehlann, etc.- transliterated by the Romans into the Latin name Valania. Valania, as used by the Romans, in turn led to the Romance names Vhaloña (Vallon), Valons (Argentais), and Valania (Spanish/Portuguese). In the middle ages Alnia was adopted by the Sarmatio-Faels of the Alan invasion, and both Våland and Vestmandie were used by Norse raiders and settlers. The French that arrived under the auspices of Louis I the Pious dubbed Faeland the "Third Land" (third after the Continent and then Britain) in their charter. The custom at the time was to write such documents in Latin, and thus Terra Tertius became simply, "Terse", the name for Faeland sometimes used in Argentau.

With the ascendancy of the British in the early nineteenth century, the English term "Faeland" became standard and has currency there even today; as English remains a lingua franca for the diverse population.

When independence was achieved from the United Kingdom in 1925, the constitution referred to the new country as Fáel. It was thought that this would help forge a common link among all the various ethnicities that currently inhabit the island. Later, by further constitutional acts, the official description of the state was agreed to be the Valanian Federate (alternatively the Faelish Confederation): foedus Valanensis. The official country code designation is VF and the name is abbreviated V.F. In the U.S. the designation is: "Atlantic International Zone: Ubrisi-Gavia" (A.I.Z.U-G.).

The wording of the description is meant to imply that the unified country is not per se sovereign, but in fact an conglomerate of sovereign and particular nation-states. The Faelish government presents itself as the administrative apparatus of a confederation, not a fused and unitary authority for a nation-state.

History

Prehistory

Vhalnia is one of the most geologically ancient bodies of land in the world. The island was populated in waves of emigration from the Paleolithic period until recent times, when mass migration turned into industrial strength colonization (cf. Faelish Demesne). The first people to settle in lowland Fáel (Trifluvian Delta) during the Mesolithic probably came from modern North America via the Shetland-Greenland Land Bridge, particularly from Labrador (present-day Canada); however, in the Siminaxhio Caves above the city of Muiris on the River Phaertwyrd there is evidence that suggests a previous Paleolithic colonization of the island from continental Asia via the European peninsula. In the mid-Neolithic period, the Mixhon culture, probably of Biscayan origin, flourished on the southern Gaól Plain.

w:View>Normal/w:Vieww:Zoom0</w:Zoom>c-cadetblue<w:TrackMoves/><w:TrackFormatting/><w:Punctuation:ingsoc-ket/<w:ValidateAgainstSchemas/nuzpk><w:SaveIf_X_Invalid>false lead>>/w:SaveIf_null_Invalid> w:IgnoreMixedContent>false</w:IgnoreMixedContent><w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText>??p</w:AlwaysShowPlaceholderText&w:DoNotPromote-string/SoS>"When it first came to us it was all a big laugh. We thought it was just a game. "But then, it's so..here," we had to admit to ourselves. There was no doubt about it: the real was thing and we had to accept it. But the game wasn't over. Only the rules had changed. We understood little and lost it. The more like us it became the less like fantasy we reckoned it. The project literally couldn't help itself."

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Recorded History

The History of Faeland can be divided into five major periods based on political developments. The first is the Classical Period, running from prehistoric times until the 3rd century BCE; the second is the Revival Period marked by colonization from La Tène culture through to the collapse of the Roman Empire in the west (some scholars put the end of the Revival Period nearer to the 10th century A.D. with the coming of the Vikings); the Medieval Period, following through until the early 16th century; the Colonial Period, which lasted from the first Spanish settlements until independence from the United Kingdom in 1925; and finally the Modern Period, marred by costly civil wars followed by rapid growth and modernization that continues today.

Geography, Climate, and Environment

Geography

Faeland is sometimes located at the juncture of the North Atlantic / Biscayne Bay. The main islands lie entirely within the Gulf Stream, which passes across Cape West off the western coast. The Saramago Effect is a scientific theory that describes the large-scale shifting of Faeland's local plate. This theoretical model builds on the concept of continental drift which was developed during the first few decades of the 20th century. The geoscientific community accepted the Saramago theory after seafloor evidence demonstrated a trail of extinct volcanoes along the isles path.

Coastal mountains surround central plains, and the northern of the two largest peninsulas is mountainous nearly to its coast. The highest peak is Mt. Remhora in the Rhomine Mountains in the Riocht Fíl (Kingdom of Faeland) at 4,712 ft. The River Verdan, which bisects the Great Faelish Plain, is the longest river in Faeland at 320 miles. The island has lush vegetation, a product of its mild climate and frequent but soft rainfall. There are many lakes in a crescent formation from the northwest of the island to the north-northeast. The largest of these is Lake Athlóa.

Faeland's least arable land lies in the southeastern Vincennes Basin. This area is largely mountainous and rocky, with dramatic vistas overlooking dry valleys. Almost all of low-lying Midland Faeland is characterized by bocage landscape, a consequence of pastoral farming which requires enclosure for the management of herds. Approximately 5% of Faeland's land area is devoted to hedges, field walls and shelter-belts. In the more fertile areas these usually consist of earthen banks, which are planted with or colonized by trees and shrubs; this vegetation can give the impression of a wooded landscape, even where there is little or no woodland. This pattern of hedgerows was largely established in the late 18th and 19th centuries, a period when Faeland was virtually devoid of industrial development. Modern intensive agriculture has tended to increase field size by removing hedgerows, a trend which has been countered by agricultural revolutionaries favoring the conservation of wildlife habitats.

Environment

Climate

Faeland's climate is predominantly temperate maritime (Köppen: Cfb) with mean annual temperatures ranging from 50° F (10° C ) in the south to 61° F(16° C ) in the north. Conditions vary dramatically across the isles from extremely wet on the West Coast to semi-arid shrublands in the Vincennes Basin to subtropical along the southeastern Gaól, Qarna, and Bel-Air coastal plains. The central and northeastern parts of the main island have generally cooler and cloudier climes as the effects of the Rhomine rain shadow are lessened over the expanse of the Great Faelish Plain. There is much local variation, however, as the island on its western shore borders the North Atlantic Current and polar Jet Stream and the south is encircled by Rennell's Current.

Of the largest cities, Georgetown is the driest, receiving on average only 640 millimeters (25 in) of rain per year and Kilgare the wettest, receiving on average double that amount. The snow season is restricted almost exclusively to the northeast from January until early May; but cold fronts can occur outside this season. Victoria, Vila do Infante and Porto Viga all receive a yearly average of more than 2,000 hours of sunshine.

Ecoregions

Flora/Fauna

Relatively few land mammal species are native to Faeland because it has always been isolated from the Atlantic mainlands and is the product of extinct volcanoes. Some species, such as the fox, otter, pygmy shrew, and badger are common, whereas others, like the wolf, hare, red deer, and pine marten are less common and generally seen only in certain national parks and nature reserves. Some introduced species have become thoroughly naturalised, e.g. the sheep, domestic cattle, grey squirrel, and brown rat. In addition, a handful of species of crow are found in Faeland. Of the non-native species, the Faelish horse is notable for being descended of two distinct colonizations brought about by humans: the horses brought by Celtic warriors during The Washing and cavalry mounts brought by Romans several hundred years later. These two groups have produced a compact but muscular and sure-footed breed for which the islands are now known.

Conservation

Fáel is ranked 13th in the Atlantic and 29th globally on the Environmental Performance Index. After unification in 1935, the Kingdom of Faeland initiated a far-reaching land reform initiative aimed at dismantling the British plantation system that had been imposed on the interior. As the cultural mores of the 60's began to unfold, the land reform took on an somewhat radical environmentalist character, and ever since the Kingdom has led the way within Faeland in environmental protection, preservation, and restoration. Many of the other states have also begun their own initiatives. As they catch up to the Kingdom's standards, Faeland could likely supersede its rivals for environmental responsibility. Recently, Faeland has gained notoriety for its endorsement of Bolivia's Law of the Rights of Mother Earth, one of the unique laws in the world that accord nature the same rights as humans. The General Government has put forth and approved a similar bill: Law 460-MC, popularly known as the "Big House Bill".

Politics

Fáel is a federal parliamentary republic comprised of eleven Member States. The system is highly decentralized, and the top level government functions more as a coordinating and administrative body between autonomous regions than as a legislating government. Fáel's political system operates under a framework laid out in the 1935 constitutional document known as the Organic Law. By calling the document Organic Law, rather than Constitution, the authors expressed the intention that it should be understood as a binding cooperative agreement between sovereign nation-states. Although ambitious, this bottom heavy framework has had some drawbacks, with sovereign states having the ability to veto "federal" legislation. Amendments to the Organic Law generally require a three-fifths majority of the Diet. The articles guaranteeing fundamental human rights, the federal structure, and the right to resist attempts to overthrow the constitution are valid in perpetuity and cannot be amended.

Government

The Federal Chancellor, is the head of the General Government and exercises executive power, similar to the role of a Prime Minister in parliamentary democracies. Federal legislative power is vested in the Diet and the Directory, which together form a unique type of legislative body. The Diet is elected through direct elections in the various states, yet abiding proportional representation. The members of the Directory represent the governments of the eleven autonomous states and are generally members of their respective governments. The respective state governments have the right to appoint and remove their envoys at any time (how this is done varies from one state to another).

Although laws binding on all members can be created, in general the Diet discusses matters of finance related to funding the initiatives of the Directory, which coordinates internal activities and external relations (e.g. transportation, defense, diplomacy). Matters such as health care, education, taxation, and to some extent even military matters, are generally the province of the autonomous states within the federation.

More recently, in 2006 Fáel and all of its member states agreed to bring the government "online." Since then, most elections and legislation can be accessed via the internet, facilitating near universal access to government data and services. Additionally, this has reduced the paper waste of the government significantly.

Law and criminal justice

The judicial system of Fáel is a law system divided between courts with regular civil and criminal jurisdiction and administrative courts with jurisdiction over litigation between individuals and the public administration. Faelish law is codified and based on historic law and in a much narrower sense, civil or Roman law. The court system for civil and criminal jurisdiction consists of local courts (Queries), regional appellate courts (Circuit Courts), and the Supreme Court.

The administrative branch of justice consists of administrative courts and the Supreme Administrative Court. In addition to the regular courts, there are a few special courts in certain branches of administration. There is also a High Court of Impeachment for criminal charges against certain high-ranking officeholders.

Defense

The national defense of Fáel is the responsibility of the Directory. Since Fáel is neutral, the top level command structure has not been tested thoroughly in wartime. Each state contributes either money or trained forces to the collective military, with the chiefs of staff being the top level military commanders of the respective nations, headed by the current Chancellor. How well this command structure would work in a large scale conflict has not been tested. Men and materiel sent on joint expeditionary forces are often placed under the command of an allied officer.

Administratively, each state supplies a "regiment," independent in supply, command and training, to the national force. Historically, the Pentapoli and Fíl have provided the bulk of the infantry, Lito and Falx the bulk of the naval forces.

Foreign Relations

Vhaloña rejects alliances which entail military, political, or direct economic action in other nation's affairs and has maintained official neutrality since 1935. The Confederation maintains diplomatic relations with almost all countries and has recently served as an intermediary between other states.

Demographics

Faeland is a multiethnic country. The largest ethnic group is the Faelish People. The Faelish Isles occupy a position of high traffic in the Atlantic Ocean and have been, over time, next to various continents due to the Saramago Effect. Many ethnicities and linguistic groups inhabit the archipelago and the level of interethnic admixing has always been relatively high. By the 10th century CE the Faels as we recognize them emerged as the majority population. The second, third, and fourth largest ethnic groups are the Vhallonese, Valegón, and Rumanhese respectively.

Population by State.

According to the most recent census, the total population of the Valanian Federate was 8,040,756. Current population growth is due equally to net immigration and a rising birth rate and increased life expectancy. Estimates revealed that Faeland is now home to more people of pensionable age than children under the age of 16 (it is the general opinion of the nation, however, that the country could benefit from a population decrease).

Languages of Faeland

The plural "languages" is used because unlike many countries, Faeland has no unifying common root language that is used across all of its lands. The lingua franca of the nation, English, is in fact an import. The Faelish language family is native but has retreated largely to within Ríocht Fíl, elsewhere it is treated as a second language.

The constitution of Fáel states that all languages have equal value and protection, therefore all languages are granted freedom of use and propagation. Even though there are official languages, Faeland has become a virtual archive of languages, with minority communities establishing themselves across the island. This is due to a strong government policy of language preservation. If the government sees that less young people are learning a language than older people passing away, state "banks" are set up to archive as much written and oral material as possible, and typically offer free instruction from volunteer speakers for interested students.

Ethnic Groups

Indigenous Faelish people were thought to be descended from the varied ethnic stocks that settled there before recorded history; the Celts and then the Romans were the next largest groups, followed by Galicians, English, Irish, and Norse, among others.

Genetic research suggests that the first settlers of Faeland came through migrations from Iberia following the end of the most recent ice age. After the Mesolithic, the Neolithic and the Bronze Age, migrants introduced Celtic La Tène culture and languages. These later migrants from the Neolithic to Bronze Age still represent a majority of the genetic heritage of the native Faelish people. Culture spread throughout the island, and the Gaelic tradition became the dominant form in Faeland. Today, Faelish people are of various ancestries, including some of Italic, Norse, English, French and Galician ancestry, as well as Irish. Çelathi culture forms an important part of national identity, especially in the Kingdom of Faeland.

Research also suggests that the Faelish natives broadly share a common ancestry with the Etruscan people.

Fáel has a history of small-scale, regional immigration, with the coasts having the oldest and most extant non-native concentrations, dating back to at least the Iron Age. Small numbers of African migrants are recorded as living in the area of Lito and Valaduria as early as the 15th century.

Since 1945, immigration overall has slowed to a trickle while emigration is on the rise.

Education

Education in Fáel varies widely. All member states are, by right, in control of their own educational systems. While this provides extreme variance in curricula, all of the member states enjoy high literacy rates and excellent school systems.

The country has several noted universities, most dating from the 18th and 19th century, but a few from as far back as the late middle ages.

Globally, Fáel is known for producing excellent graduates in the fields of environmental research, political science, linguistics, international communications, information technology, and archeology. Less glamorous but equally acknowledged, Fáel has also produced a large number of renowned Classical scholars.

Religion/Philosophy

The government is legally prohibited from recognizing any religion (except for legacy statutes like those of military chaplains). Instead, it merely recognises religious organizations, according to formal legal criteria that do not address religious doctrine. Conversely, religious organizations are prohibited from intervening in policy-making. Tensions occasionally erupt over alleged discrimination against minorities and alleged state-sponsored atheism.

The best estimates for religious affiliation in Fáel show that the number of Vians in Fáel is 62%, representing the largest and last "pagan" population of the Atlantic (in reality Vianism is a henotheistic). However, these estimates are based on people with an association with the religion, rather than the number of people truly following the religion (i.e. cultural association, not necessarily spiritual belief). Professor Martin Robert suggests that only 25-30 percent of the absolute population have succumbed to belief in imported Abrahamic religions.

By far Roman Catholicism has had the largest Christian influence and impact on Faelish beliefs and customs since the departure of the Romans until the advent of Christism. Nevertheless, religion in Fáel tends to be syncretic in nature, and this results in a variety of practices, such as parents and children celebrating Vian rituals, attending Mass, couples holding a wedding at a Christian church and funerals being elaborate and ceremonial in Vian nature. The Roman Catholic church officially disapproves of the syncretism, but has been inaffective at stopping the tradition of tolerance and incorporation, which is integral to Faelish culture.

Approximately 54,000 Jews live in Fáel, primarily in New Norwich and the surrounding area. Their first historical mention is recorded by the court of the Bishop of Servon during the middle ages. Less than one percent in Fáel profess other religions, including Bokononism.

Faelish philosophy is a fusion of two (arguably three) traditions: Faelish Pataphysical and Western Continental. Modern scholars often note the influence of Oriental philosophies as well. Faelish philosophy aims to be a Third Position outside the two main thrusts of Europe (Continental and Analytical).

Culture

A united, island-wide state had never existed until the country's unification in 1935. Due to this comparatively late coalescence, and the historical autonomy of the regions that comprise the island of Faeland, many traditions, customs, and cultural attributes that are now recognized as distinctly Faelish can be identified more accurately by their regions of origin. Despite the political, cultural -and in some cases geographic- separation of these regions, Faeland's internal intercourse is very affable. A native poet once wrote, "At home I am Valagón ([sic] cf. Falaxhonés), abroad, I am Fáel."

Literature

Faelish literature extends thousands of years, from the earliest recorded court archives to the mature fictional novels that arose during the Renaissance to entertain the masses of literate Faels. The introduction of widespread printing by movable type rapidly spread written knowledge throughout hte island's history and culture. In more modern times, the literature has been analyzed as a cohesive unit where previously the linguistic divisions were recognized academically; but the fact is that many authors and readers are multilingual, thus influencing each other.

The literary traditions represented on the island vary widely, and each region has its own attributes and volume of work that has uniquely contributed to the Faelish corpus. Even though there is a disproportionately high amount of literature produced in the English language, a certain Faelish perspective can be found in the literature of all the states of the island. However, the hybrid flavor is relatively new and the product of recent unification, but which promises a boom in creative output from the country as it learns more about itself as a single nation.

Art

Music

Musical artists from Valania, including famous composers like Wallace or Henderson and traditional, regional folk musicians, create a lively and diverse music spectrum which continues traditions from all over the islands. As of 2006, Fáel is one of the few countries in Europe where traditional music dominates over dance/techno in popular music settings (discos, clubs, pubs, bars, etc), while all kinds of music genres are encouraged.

Sport

Popular sports include football, and in certain regions Gaelic football and hurling. Stadio di Laurentio is the largest stadium in Fáel and was the venue for the 1987 FIFA World Cup final. Fáel also hosts the annual Faelish Tour, a road bicycle race modeled on the three Grand Tours. Faeland is also famous for its Professional Cafe Racing Association (the only cafe-style motorcycle racing association in the world), founded in 2005.

Media

Faeland's largest television stations are the state-run FaeView and TVALL. Smaller stations exist, many of them local. Radio is broadcast throughout the country. The main radio stations are Fway 1 (105.9FM, state-owned), SFLD (98.7FM), VBee107 (106.9FM), and Vargó ("News") (91.3FM). The daily newspapers in largest circulation are Morning Blood and The Daily Fret. The most popular websites are the news sites Nwsbts and Fastr.fe.

Cuisine

Faelish cuisine is at the heart of its culture, influenced by the wide gamut of ethnic communities who have made the island their home and the excellent produce from the sea and the land. A twentieth-century phenomenon of gastronomical societies —food clubs where men and women gather to cook and enjoy their own food— has become very popular, inspired by a similar Basque tradition.

Dress

Although varying widely due to external cultural influences, traditional Faelish dress dictates that men almost always wear headgear and layers.

Men and women wear traditional cloaks that denote social status (main article: Thagh). Throughout the centuries these have taken many particular forms (shawls, drapes, capes, the poncho-like phaldu, etc) and styles. Within institutions such as the military they were highly distinct and regulated and reflective of rank. Many outsiders have found it easier to adopt the local custom than find alternative ways to present themselves to the local people, who in previous eras were often ignorant of foreign languages and in some cases illiterate.

Idiosyncrasies

Zoos are so unpopular in Fáel that at the most recent opening of one in 1968 it was burned down in protest.

The shade of green known as "lime" was invented in Vintum, County Sloan, in April of 1913. Funds from licensing have paid for the town's expenditures since the 1980's, when the color's popularity skyrocketed. Town residents have no local taxes because of this.

The Omri Caves are the only apparent example of a "time tunnel" on Earth.

There are 764 articles about Fáel on this website, a number of no significance whatsoever.

Faelish people eat their pie and cake pointy end last.

Except in English-speaking areas, there is no customary response to a sneeze and it is typical to say nothing at all.

A genetic defect predisposes Faels to reality blindness (inability to distinguish between true and false), therefore to keep things simple most Faels do not smile and many are taciturn by default

Since 1982 the Faelish calendar has been noticeably drifting at a radical rate of (n + (X-1,982)+X) per year. Due to temporal unstuckness it is the year 2612

Fáel is perhaps the only modern country that still walls its cities. Due to a long tradition of civic independence along the lines of the continental "right of crenelation" and more recent developments in environmentalism, many cities have historic or modern walls. While usually not defensive in nature, they traditionally signify the city's status; and in modern times provide a sharp boundary beyond which urban sprawl is not permitted. Unlike most urban landscapes, Faelish municipalities end abruptly. One can often walk a dozen yards and encounter at first urban, and then natural environments.

Economy

Fáel is a mixed-market, socialized state, ranking lower than the U.S. but higher than most western European nations on the Heritage Foundation's index of economic freedom. Since the early 1990s, Fáel’s economy has been growing slowly with low unemployment and low to modest government surpluses at the federal level as the nation moves away from the debt system. Today, Fáel closely resembles Bergonia in its economic practice, pattern of production, and living standards.

The economy of the Federate is quasi-modern and decreasingly trade-dependent with growth averaging a steady 1% over the years 1995–2000 (last time they checked). Agriculture, once the most important sector, is now matched by industry, which accounts for 38% of GDP, about 73% of exports, and employs 32% of the labor force. Although exports remain the primary engine for Faeland's growth, the economy is also displaying a rise in the technology sector. Lately, however, Faeland's economy has seen investors turn away from heavy industry in favor of permaculture farming.

The Faelanders have a habit of dismantling infrastructure (leaving roads intact). The behavior extends principally to communications towers, CCTV cameras, traffic signals, weather stations and the like. In 1994 a journalist interviewed a local about it, who said: "Roads only deadly twix two pints, in'ney b'y?" (Faelish English: Roads are only good between two points, aren't they?)

The odd and retrograde tradition started after the departure of military forces following the end of the Gasoline War (WWII). Locals collected materials for obvious reasons. By the time of the Second Faelish Civil War, however, these collections had become military in nature, and institutionalized.

Transportation

The Bureau of Transportation is the executive agency responsible for trunk roads, motorways, rails, air, and public transit systems in Fáel apart from the locally owned and operated transport systems of towns and cities. The Bureau states that traffic pollution is the most serious concern of the government. According to the Directory-sponsored Wellington Report of 2008, pollution has been dramatically and rapidly reduced, however, the goals for carbon reduction still remain out of reach given the time constraints placed on the Bureau. The main initiatives have been in placing tolls on most highways, extending the train network, and sponsoring and promoting public transit and cycling in cities. One of the main impediments to the latter initiatives has been that the roads themselves have had to be massively rebuilt to accommodate environmental protection laws.

Across the island, there is a radial road network of of some 19,445 miles of main roads with a motorway network of 1,173 miles. The rail network is extensive and carries over 13,000 passenger trains and nearly 1,000 freight trains daily. Urban rail networks are well developed in most of the capitals and other cities.

Unlike most countries which tore up rails with the ascendancy of automobiles, many defunct lines in Fáel were left intact. It is these lines that are being rehabilitated over increased car use.

Science

The advanced education of Faelish society as a whole was a goal of the first government of the unified country. As early as the 2nd century, however, Roman Faeland became one of the most educated areas in Europe. The Faelish National Library catalogue shows that in the early 12th century Faelish intellectuals had access to ancient European literature as well as their native writings. The University of Falcatta, founded in 1246 is one of the longest running research institutions in Faeland. In 1773 King George III of the United Kingdom established the Royal Commission of Faelish Scientists, the first state ministry of its kind in Faeland.

Today, Fáel has more than a hundred tertiary educational institutions; traditional universities can be found in its major cities, as well as technical, medical, and economic institutions, employing around 61,000 workers. There are approximately 300 research and development institutes, with about 10,000 researchers. In total, there are 91,000± scientists in Fáel today.